Orion Jr is packed up for traveling As the month ended, so did our time in Jacksonville. Just before leaving, we had taken a break for Cathy’s birthday trip to Universal Studios. The last of the Nomads to leave, we pulled out on the morning of the 30th, this time without our RV, but instead with Orion Jr behind us.
Dave applies primer to the new wood on Peeler Hall Finishing UpWe only had a few days to bring the tasks we were involved in at Faith to a close. Dave published the church’s website and turned over the daily maintenance to the church members. With Rigo’s help we re-positioned the serving equipment and tables into the school’s cafe, clearing the way for them to serve hot lunches. After a particularly rainy couple of days, it became apparent that the house rented by World Relief needed some attention to its roof. Ken and Dave spent an afternoon getting covered in muck cleaning it off. All in a day’s work.
Although the work on Peeler progressed slowly this season, by early April the contractor had finally replaced the roof, having constructed soffits on the side where the addition was removed. Although the contractor still had more to do, the new soffits were all bare wood that needed to be painted. So with Sandy and Ken’s help we primed and caulked all the bare wood. That was the best we could do in the time we had left.
Finally, there was one more task to do. On our last Saturday, Kim from Kim’s Open Door called asking if Dave could drive the bus to the tutoring program on Saturday. Sure thing. And with that done, we were done for the season. Sandy had left the Wednesday before. Ken and Karen headed out that same Saturday. And on Monday, it was our turn to say goodbye.
Until November . . . well sort of.
Although the work on Peeler progressed slowly this season, by early April the contractor had finally replaced the roof, having constructed soffits on the side where the addition was removed. Although the contractor still had more to do, the new soffits were all bare wood that needed to be painted. So with Sandy and Ken’s help we primed and caulked all the bare wood. That was the best we could do in the time we had left.
Finally, there was one more task to do. On our last Saturday, Kim from Kim’s Open Door called asking if Dave could drive the bus to the tutoring program on Saturday. Sure thing. And with that done, we were done for the season. Sandy had left the Wednesday before. Ken and Karen headed out that same Saturday. And on Monday, it was our turn to say goodbye.
Until November . . . well sort of.
Dave installing new batteries on Orion Jr Boat Stuff
The list of tasks needed to get Orion Jr back on the road and on the water was getting shorter. Dave checked the tires and topped off their air pressure. He also moved the tire pressure sensors from the RV and reprogrammed the Tire Pressure Monitor at the lower pressure required. After some debate, we decided to replace the batteries on the boat with 2 new Marine group 24 batteries. The load they could carry would be 25% less (150 amp-hours vs 200), but the advantage of having fresh batteries (and therefore a known entity) at a good price was worth the change.
Then, there were the leaks. The rain that exposed problems at the house next door, also reminded us of problems on the boat. The port side settee in the Main Saloon had a huge puddle of water. And the bilge pumped out a lot of water. We were able to eliminate several possible sources (portlights, hatch boards, shrouds), but narrowed in on a small crack in the port cockpit seat. We made a temporary repair and will look for the next rain to see if we are right.
The list of tasks needed to get Orion Jr back on the road and on the water was getting shorter. Dave checked the tires and topped off their air pressure. He also moved the tire pressure sensors from the RV and reprogrammed the Tire Pressure Monitor at the lower pressure required. After some debate, we decided to replace the batteries on the boat with 2 new Marine group 24 batteries. The load they could carry would be 25% less (150 amp-hours vs 200), but the advantage of having fresh batteries (and therefore a known entity) at a good price was worth the change.
Then, there were the leaks. The rain that exposed problems at the house next door, also reminded us of problems on the boat. The port side settee in the Main Saloon had a huge puddle of water. And the bilge pumped out a lot of water. We were able to eliminate several possible sources (portlights, hatch boards, shrouds), but narrowed in on a small crack in the port cockpit seat. We made a temporary repair and will look for the next rain to see if we are right.
Ken studies the mast before he helps us haul it on board. As people asked how much longer we would be around, Cathy’s response was “if you see that mast still on the ground, you know we’re not going anywhere too soon.” Well that changed on the Thursday before we left. With Rigo and Ken’s help, we pretty easily hefted it on deck and secured it for travel. Orion Jr was ready to hit the road.
Standing outside of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Visiting Harry and Friends
Cathy’s 60th birthday had a delayed reward. After the last of the Spring Break crowds had departed, we headed to Orlando to visit Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We tasted some butterbeer, shopped at Honeyduke’s in Hogsmeade, rode the Hogwarts Express, watched a wand choose its wizard at Olivanders in Diagon Alley, and even ventured into Knockturn Alley. We toured Hogwarts and took the Forbidden Journey ride into the chamber of secrets and rode with Harry and crew on their escape from Gringotts. There were lots of wand-waving wizards around, but we left the magic tricks to those who were willing to pay $50 for a wand. (I don’t think so.)
Cathy’s 60th birthday had a delayed reward. After the last of the Spring Break crowds had departed, we headed to Orlando to visit Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We tasted some butterbeer, shopped at Honeyduke’s in Hogsmeade, rode the Hogwarts Express, watched a wand choose its wizard at Olivanders in Diagon Alley, and even ventured into Knockturn Alley. We toured Hogwarts and took the Forbidden Journey ride into the chamber of secrets and rode with Harry and crew on their escape from Gringotts. There were lots of wand-waving wizards around, but we left the magic tricks to those who were willing to pay $50 for a wand. (I don’t think so.)
Hello there! With four days to tour the two Universal parks, we had plenty of time to explore outside the Harry Potter land. We had a close encounter with a raptor dinosaur (click here to see a video),, rode the brand new (literally on its first day) Fast and Furious ride (pretty cool) and more than a dozen 3D/4D rides with Spiderman, Minions, The Simpsons, The Mummy, Transformers, and more trying to save us from the bad guys or take us to them. There were only 2 rides that had survived the 2 decades since our last visit, but one of them was Men In Black:Alien Attack, which was still a lot of fun. Luckily, it had some of the shortest lines, so we rode it repeatedly trying to improve our scores.
No. The picture's not over-exposed. There is an explosion below and to the left of this competitor. We watched a few shows, but by far the most dramatic was Fear Factor. They convinced some volunteers to have scorpions crawl on them, drink disgusting stuff and dangle from perilous heights to win prizes. The show ended with a bang (literally) as one competitor dangled from a car hood several stories above the ground. Each day they were looking for volunteers to compete in the next show, but we were satisfied being just spectators.
Cathy starts in on the Cream Puff Sundae Just outside the parks was Citywalk, Universal’s dining and shopping area. The one establishment that made an immediate impression was the Chocolate Emporium, conveniently located just outside the entrance to the Islands of Adventure Park. We had supper there one night, but by far the most memorable dishes were their desserts. We tried 2 or 3 of their sundaes over several days. And although we split each one, we were never able to finish one.
On a couple of occasions we left the park early. Once to visit with Dave’s sister Wendy and her husband Dave who drove up from Bradenton. And once to see the Blue Man Group show, which was funny and weird but still a good time. We had earned tickets to see it, so our admission was free. By Friday, we were ready to head back “home” to Jacksonville. It had been a good break and a great birthday gift.
On a couple of occasions we left the park early. Once to visit with Dave’s sister Wendy and her husband Dave who drove up from Bradenton. And once to see the Blue Man Group show, which was funny and weird but still a good time. We had earned tickets to see it, so our admission was free. By Friday, we were ready to head back “home” to Jacksonville. It had been a good break and a great birthday gift.
The Road North
It took us 2 days to reach Poquoson towing Jr. The first of which was pretty uneventful. But the second day was a different story. Less than an hour out of Lumberton, where we had stopped for the night, a tire pressure alarm sounded. While we had seen a few false alarms over the years since installing them, this was certainly real. The front passenger tire on the trailer was leaking air through a sizable opening on the inside. Big enough that you could hear the air escaping despite the noise of traffic on I95.
It took us 2 days to reach Poquoson towing Jr. The first of which was pretty uneventful. But the second day was a different story. Less than an hour out of Lumberton, where we had stopped for the night, a tire pressure alarm sounded. While we had seen a few false alarms over the years since installing them, this was certainly real. The front passenger tire on the trailer was leaking air through a sizable opening on the inside. Big enough that you could hear the air escaping despite the noise of traffic on I95.
Luck and planning were with us however. Before heading north, Dave had changed our BoatUS insurance to include unlimited towing – which included both on water and trailer towing. Also, after contacting BoatUS, we discovered that we were parked on the side of the road directly in front of a truck service facility. Sure enough, the repair man came to us --- not up I95, but through the fence that separated the facility from us. By the time he arrived, Dave had fired up the generator to put air in the spare tire. It was pretty quick work to then replace the failing tire with the spare. The problem was not a puncture, but a belt failure in the tire. We also learned that we should be keeping our speeds down around 60mph.
Given that information, we pretty quickly turned off the interstate to take another route to Poquoson. We were well on our way to the Virginia Line when another alarm sounded. The same tire? No. This time it was the driver’s side rear tire. As Dave looked to pull over in the small town we were just entering, it looked like the business beside us was a garage. Really? Sure enough, after speaking to the receptionist, we were able to drive around to the service bay and almost immediately a mechanic was jacking up the trailer. This time it wasn’t a bad belt, but rather a bad valve stem. He just needed to deflate the tire, replace the stem and re-inflate it. In less than 30 minutes and for less than $10, we were good to go.
After a very long day, we pulled into Steve and Linda’s yard, very glad to be there. Let’s hope launching the boat will be a little less eventful.
After a very long day, we pulled into Steve and Linda’s yard, very glad to be there. Let’s hope launching the boat will be a little less eventful.
